


Pillow talk

by QueenC



Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, ChalexWeek2020, College, Established Relationship, Fluff, M rating is just to be safe, M/M, no smutty times here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:54:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25615429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenC/pseuds/QueenC
Summary: Alex and Charlie haven't seen each other in a month. Then Alex's roommate leaves for the weekend, and they are so not letting this opportunity get away.Chalex Week 2020, day 4:college
Relationships: Charlie St. George/Alex Standall
Comments: 16
Kudos: 78
Collections: Chalex Week 2020





	Pillow talk

**Author's Note:**

> I had so many ideas for college and ended up going for the easy choice, lol. There's a small nod in this story to another fic of mine, [Welcome to the rest of your life](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25080481), because I plan to add this to my Glimpses series eventually, but it works just fine to read this one on its own.
> 
> This is rated M because despite having no explicit scenes, there are some of Alex's considerations about sex in general. It is also the most tactile I've written these characters to date, so I went with M cause it's better to be safe than sorry. Don't expect smutty times tho, I warn you in advance.

“So,” Charlie's voice was soft, barely breaking the silence of Alex's dorm room. Alex blinked sluggishly, head resting on his boyfriend's chest, lacking the willpower to move enough to face him. “How's adapting going?”

“Seriously, Charles?” Alex drawled, trademark roll-eye taking place even if Charlie couldn't currently see it. “Is now the best time for this conversation?”

“Well, I _am_ curious,” said Charlie defensively.

“You have the worst pillow talk ever,” informed Alex, but there was a small smile tugging at his lips nonetheless.

“I thought this was the conversation we'd have as soon as I got here! I didn't expect you to jump me the moment I stepped through the door,” pointed Charlie.

“Don't be such a liar,” chided Alex, amused. “It's been a month.”

“And you couldn't keep your hands out of me for long enough to answer 'hey boyfriend, how you doing'?” Charlie arched his eyebrows. 

“You think very highly of yourself,” informed Alex, unfazed.

“Yeah, but am I wrong, though?” Mused Charlie, and Alex could hear the grin in his voice. This time he did lift his head to glare at his boyfriend, only to have Charlie cracking into an amused laugh.

“I'll say this again, maybe it'll sink in this time. _It's been a month_ ,” repeated Alex.

“You know you can say you missed me with words, right?” Said Charlie with a smile. 

“And what would be the fun in that?” Argued Alex pointedly.

“I'll give you that one,” Charlie conceded, fingers threading fondly through Alex's dark blond hair. “I missed you too, babe. Like crazy,” he confessed, leaning in to press a chaste kiss on Alex's temple. 

Alex was appeased by this admission, snuggling back against his boyfriend's side. Their naked bodies touched from shoulder to knee under the blankets, ankles entwined intimately, and hadn't they just sated each other's needs barely ten minutes ago, Alex would find the situation enticing enough to get him going again. 

It still caught him by surprise — how the intimacy, the love, the _trust_ could be such a turn-on for him. Alex had never thought of himself as the cliche type who said that sex was only made better with the person you loved. Not before Charlie, at least. But he didn't really know anything before, did he. All his pre-Charlie experiences had laid somewhere between anti-climatic and downright frustrating. He knew sex could be better than what he'd had so far — it was impossible that people would make such a big deal out of it otherwise — but it wasn't before Charlie that he had started to understand what all the fuss was about.

And he and Charlie had barely had time to dig much into their discoveries together before Alex had to leave for Berkeley — so he wasn't apologetic at all for skipping the niceties and plastering his lips against his boyfriend's the moment Charlie set a foot into his dorm room. Which was exactly what he'd done. 

Last time he and Charlie had seen each other had been a month ago, the day Alex had moved into his dorm room. Charlie and his parents had driven him to campus to help him get settled and say their goodbyes, and in Alex's most optimistic predictions, he had expected to be back home for the weekend about one or two weeks later at best.

But college's program was harder than he'd anticipated, not to mention getting used to navigating through campus, and settling in his dorm, and making the initial necessary effort into socializing to guarantee he wouldn't be a loner for the rest of his days in Berkeley. So with all of that on his plate, Alex had less time available than he would have liked. He still had some readings to catch up with, and wouldn't make it back home this weekend yet again — so when his roommate had announced he would be needed at home for a few days, Alex was quick to take the chance to sneak Charlie into his dorms. Charlie, obviously, had been more than happy to oblige.

“Things are going good,” answered Alex to Charlie's original question at last. His fingers drew lazy circles across Charlie's chest and shoulder, distracting himself enough as he went through the highlights of his first month at college in his head. “I mean, you know most of it already, considering how much you have a liking for FaceTime--”

“It's not the same thing,” protested Charlie. 

“-- but yeah, time has been lacking, but in general it's been easier than I thought it would be. I mean, I was so fucking sure that I'd be glad to leave Liberty High behind but I had no idea, Charlie.” He propped himself on his arms to better look at his boyfriend, amazement written clearly in the lines of his face. “It's all so different here. I'm not _the_ Alex Standall, skinny sad kid who tried to shoot himself in the head here at Berkeley. I'm just-- actually I'm no one yet because no one knows me at all, which is amazing too. I can be whoever I wanna be. I could start myself over from scratch if I'd like.”

“I quite like the Alex you already are,” said Charlie, tilting his head and looking at his boyfriend with nothing but fondness in his eyes, “but I get what you mean. It must be mind-blowing, this amount of freedom.”

Alex nodded, leaning his chin on Charlie's chest so he could peer up at him. “It is. I can't wait for you to have the chance to see it for yourself.”

Charlie smiled, reaching a hand to trace Alex's cheekbone with his thumb. “How do you feel about me seeing it for myself here at Berkeley?”

“I'd never want to push you into any decision, especially not on such a big one for your future,” Alex said earnestly, turning his head and kissing Charlie's palm, “but since you're asking, I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't enjoy having you closer.”

“You're not pushing me into anything,” reassured Charlie, heart beating faster in face of Alex's display of affection. Every single one of them still had the power to leave him winded — especially after such a long month surviving on video calls and texts. “And I promise I'll take into consideration a lot more than just wanting to be next to my boyfriend when it's my time to choose where I'll apply to. But I can't lie. I do miss you a lot, and I wish we could be closer.” His hand moved forward to cup Alex's neck, holding his gaze steadily. “If I had my way, there wouldn't be one day I'd spend away from you.”

“You are so fucking cheesy,” Alex rolled his eyes fondly. 

“You know you love it,” murmured Charlie, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. 

Alex wouldn't argue with that. Instead, he pushed himself closer to his boyfriend and covered the distance between their lips.

Charlie's hand tightened on his nape and Alex complied, deepening the kiss, allowing himself to get lost in Charlie's taste, smell, and touch. It had been a whole month of just barely holding it together, juggling between his amazement of discovering a new world at college and also missing his parents, his friends, his perfect sunshine of a boyfriend. So yeah, maybe Charlie was cheesy — but that wasn't the same to say he was wrong. In fact, Alex fully agreed with him. He so wished he could have his boyfriend at arm's length any time of the day.

“Can you imagine how spoiled we'd be, though,” mused Alex, lips merely a breath away from Charlie's. He stared into his boyfriend's eyes amused, “if we could just run into each other anytime. Or maybe have dates over the week. Or, I don't know, sleep together on weekdays?”

“Ok, stop, you're triggering me,” warned Charlie, and they both laughed together before their lips found their way to each others' again.

The kiss lasted longer this time, filled with hope, and longing, and joy — and most of all, filled with love. Alex poured all of his feelings into the slow slide of their lips, both giving and taking the reassurance they needed from it. _It'll be okay_ , Alex meant with every flick of his tongue against Charlie's. _We'll get through this_ , he heard on each of his boyfriend's shallow breaths against his cheek.

They hadn't really talked about Charlie's college applications yet. Some overall mentions were made during their summer together, but they both tended to dodge the subject, in an unspoken agreement that it was too soon to consider it seriously. Alex had barely made it into college himself, and Charlie still had a whole school year ahead of him. On top of that, they were only months into being an item, still on the process of solidifying their relationship. They were both wary of approaching the subject in a we-need-to-talk fashion and seem too desperate, too clingy. Alex was glad that the topic had just popped up naturally, and they could talk it over without making a big deal out of it. It felt light, easy — like many things between the two of them seemed to be.

“I would love to have all of that with you,” said Charlie with a sigh after they finally parted to get some air. Alex's eyes lingered on his lips — they were red and swollen from their kissing, and it only made Alex want to lean in and kiss him again. “But we'll make things work no matter what, even if I go to college somewhere else,” Charlie stated confidently, and both his certainty and his fingertips currently tracing shapes along Alex's spine made the older boy shiver. “It's like you said this one time, we've only just found each other. I'm not letting go of you. You know how obstinate I can be.”

“That I know for sure,” agreed Alex amused. “Your chasing skills are legendary.”

“I think you happen to like it when I chase after you,” suggested Charlie with a grin.

“And now you're just fishing for compliments,” said Alex nonchalantly. 

Charlie let out a chuckle, using his weight as leverage to flip them on the bed and invert their positions. “I would chase you wherever you go,” he vowed, peering lovingly into Alex's blue eyes from above. 

Alex was too affected by his words — and by Charlie's body pressing just right against his own in all the right places — to be very articulate. “Cheesy again,” he blurted out, voice coming out softer than he expected.

“What can I say,” shrugged Charlie, leaning down to press his lips against Alex's neck, “you bring it out on me.”

Alex closed his eyes, fingers threading unconsciously into Charlie's short hair, appreciating his closeness and allowing himself to get lost in it. It was only the first month of many to come, and none of them could be sure now what the future held for them. But having Charlie like this, with him, right now, was enough to ease his worries for the moment.

For now, they could leave the later for later.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm always a bit insecure when writing established relationships, so please let me know what you thought of this one. As always, thank you all so much for reading <3


End file.
